Various Artists

• CD JEWEL CASE FORMAT

Beautiful grooves from the Japanese scene – most of them from a time when its singers and musicians were leaning heavily on influences from American funk and soul, and turning out some wonderful music of their own!

Lyrics on most tracks are in Japanese, but there's a really universal vibe to the grooves – great basslines, warm keyboards, and lots of jazzy touches in the instrumentation – a soulful, often funky approach that gives the collection an appeal that goes way beyond the boundaries of language! These aren't the mellow, electronic, or offbeat Japanese tracks of the 80s – and instead, the work here is overflowing with soul.

TRACKS:

• 01. Kumi Nakamura ....... Kimagure
• 02. Miyuki Maki ....... Indo No Michibata
• 03. Haruyoshi Yamashina ....... Osake to Joke
• 04. Sumiko Yamagata ....... Natsu No Hikari Ni
• 05. Hatsumi Shibata ....... Party is Over
• 06. Makoto Iwabuchi ....... Moonlight Flight
• 07. Hiroshi Sato ....... Saigo No Tejina
• 08. Arakawa Band ....... Paradises Dream
• 09. New Generation Company ....... I Wander All Alone Part III
• 10. Kiyohiko Ozaki ....... Ojosan Oteyawarakani
• 11. Kengo Kurozumi ....... Juggler
• 12. Ken Nishizaki ....... Koi No Paradigm
• 13. Jadoes ....... Simply Another Love
• 14. Midori Hara ....... Aamar Jabar
• 15. Hitomi Penny Tohyama ....... Tuxedo Connection
• 16. Mizuki Koyama ....... Oh Daddy
• 17. Haruo Chikada Vibra-tones ....... Sofa Bed Blues
• 18. Mitsuko Horie ....... Chigasaki Memory